Golden pheasant
The golden pheasant is a strikingly colorful bird native to the rocky foothills of central China. Known scientifically as *Chrysolophus pictus*, this species is a member of the pheasant family, which also includes peafowl and Lady Amherst's pheasant. Males of the species are particularly notable for their vivid gold and crimson plumage, complemented by green, blue, and black patches, while females exhibit more subdued, speckled brown feathers, providing excellent camouflage. Golden pheasants prefer habitats that include bamboo clumps and terraced fields, avoiding open areas and dense forests.
These diurnal birds primarily feed on the leaves, shoots, and flowers of plants like rhododendrons and bamboo, along with insects such as beetles and spiders. Golden pheasants exhibit a shy and territorial nature, typically living in solitude except during mating season in spring. The female lays a clutch of five to twelve eggs, which she incubates alone, and the chicks are precocial, becoming independent shortly after hatching. While they are not currently considered threatened, golden pheasants have been introduced to regions like Great Britain, where some have established wild populations. Their lifespan can range from five to twenty years, depending on environmental factors and hunting pressures.
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Golden pheasant
Golden pheasants are shy, rare gamebirds which live on the ground in China. The males are among the most colorful members of the pheasant family, which includes Lady Amherst's pheasants and peafowl (peacocks and peahens).
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Genus: Chrysolophus
Species: Pictus
The golden pheasants live among bamboo clumps at high altitudes in the rocky foothills of China's central mountains. They also may make their homes around the edges of terraced fields and in tea plantations. They tend to avoid open country, wetlands, and dense woodlands or forests.
The male golden pheasants are among the most colorful of the about 50 species of pheasants. Other notably colorful members of the family are the male peafowl (peacocks) and male Lady Amherst's pheasants. Male golden pheasants have brilliant gold and crimson plumage, or feathering, and may have green, blue, and black patches also. Their white-and-black or white-and-brown tails are a great part of their overall length of two to four feet (an average of one meter). Females are slightly smaller and are far less colorful. They have dull, speckled, brown plumage and much shorter tails. Both male and female are one to 1 1/2 pounds (about 1/2 kilogram) and have wingspans of about two feet (60 centimeters).
Golden pheasants eat the flowers of rhododendrons and forage for the leaves and shoots of a number of shrubs which grow close to the ground, particularly bamboo. They also catch beetles and spiders. They are diurnal (active during the day) and roost, or sleep, at night in the trees out of the reach of predators like foxes and wild cats. The pheasants do not migrate to different grounds in the winter but feed in the same places. Pheasants at higher elevations may move to lower feeding grounds each day and then return to higher grounds at night.
Golden pheasants are shy and territorial and live alone most of the year. In the months of April and May the cocks (males) attract hens (females) with loud, harsh crowing and courtship displays and dances. Males fight with each other for territories and for mates. The males approach very closely to the females and display their brilliant feathers while loudly hissing. Other pheasant calls are described as roars, growls, and purrs. After mating, the female lays five to 12 tan-colored eggs in her nest. The nest may be on the ground in the weeds of a cluster of bamboo trees. She incubates the eggs for 22 to 23 days by herself. Her dull-brown plumage is excellent camouflage against predators for her and the eggs. However, large rodents often seek out golden pheasant eggs. After they hatch, the chicks are almost immediately independent. The young pheasants are able to fledge, or to fly for the first time, when they are two weeks old. Females are able to mate for the first time when they are one year old, and males may attract females for mating when they are two years old. The maximum life span of golden pheasants can be between five and 20 years if they are not hunted or their habitat is not disturbed. Those in captivity may live longer than those in the wild.
Studies show that golden pheasants may mate with certain related pheasant species. When a golden pheasant mates with a Lady Amherst's pheasant and has young, the young are able to mate and have other young pheasants. This is not true when a golden pheasant mates with a silver pheasant. While male young from this mating are able to mate with other pheasants, female young are not able to reproduce.
In the past, some golden pheasants were brought to Great Britain, and these have now become an established species there. Many are still kept in captivity, but some have escaped and are now wild. The wild pheasants live in dense forest plantations and mixed woodland areas.
The golden pheasant is not considered a threatened species.
Bibliography
“Golden Pheasant Bird Facts - Chrysolophus Pictus.” Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/golden-pheasant. Accessed 31 Mar. 2024.
“Golden Pheasant - Facts, Diet, Habitat & Pictures on Animalia.bio.” Animalia, 2024, animalia.bio/golden-pheasant?letter=b. Accessed 31 Mar. 2024.